Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anyone or anything from Bleach. It's as simple as that. Everything else, however, is mine. :D

Chapter 17: Jailbreak

So I had this perfect plan. Play along with the whole go to Squad 12 thing, wait for my opportunity, escape, and then take Aizen out. Good plan right? Not so much. Actually nothing in this plan has gone the way it was supposed to. I got delivered to Squad 12 just fine, but the rest has turned out to be rather…difficult.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was not a particularly pleasant man in Wakana's memories, but after a hundred years he's become infinitely worse. He's creepy and so cruel that it's hard to believe that he was once human. While Central 46's orders were to see if Wakana's powers could be removed without harming me as far as Kurotsuchi is concerned I'm just another test subject. And apparently I'm his new favorite.

Kurotsuchi may call what he's doing to me "research", but as far as I can tell it's closer to torture. Several times a day he cuts on me, pokes me, shocks me- pretty much everything short of killing me. Not only has this weakened me physically and mentally, but he also keeps siphoning off my spiritual pressure so I feel even worse. It's like I keep falling deeper into a pit in my own mind. Maybe it's some kind of defense mechanism for me to escape the pain. It's getting hard for me to keep track of the passage of time. The cells where us guinea pigs are kept are all underground. It's probably only been about a week, but it feels like it could be months. Even years. My throat went raw long ago from screaming.

He's in the middle of one our sessions when something unusual happens. Kurotsuchi is just about to inject me with something when we are interrupted by the door to the lab being unceremoniously thrown open. "Captain Kurotsuchi, sir!" a Soul Reaper shouts into the room. His voice seems to come to me through a thick curtain "You're needed outside sir!"

"Go away! Can't you see I'm busy right now?" Kurotsuchi replies irritably without turning around. I roll my head around so I can see the doorway. The Soul Reaper looks to be a member of Squad Twelve that doesn't work the Research Department. He seems uncertain about what to do.

"But sir…" Definitely more hesitant. "There's an emergency."

"An emergency? An emergency? What emergency could possibly be so important that you dare to interrupt my research?" The poor idiot cringes at the sound of his Captain's screeching. Even if Kurotsuchi doesn't care I'm rather curious now despite my pain and weakness induced haze.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, sir…" The Soul Reaper is clearly terrified now, his voice shaking. "Ryoka have entered the Soul Society in the Rukon District. Everyone's on red alert. You're needed…needed at your duty station sir."

Ryoka? What the hell is a ryoka? The answer drifts slowly to the top of my mind. Right. Invaders in the Soul Society. Could that mean…? He's not here is he? My mind surfaces a little bit more as I struggle to consider that thought's implications. I hope he's not here. It's better if he's not here. As much as I try to tell myself that a tiny bud of hope begins to sprout in my chest.

Kurotsuchi seems to mull over his subordinate's words for a moment. Finally he gives an overly dramatic sigh and turns around. "Very well. I suppose all the rest of the fools in this place can't handle this without my help. I'm just about finished with this particular sample anyways." He carelessly throws the syringe over his shoulder where is lands with a loud clang in the tray next to the table where I'm chained down. I exhale silently, thankful for my respite.

The Soul Reaper in the doorway hastens to move as Kurotsuchi exits the room. He pauses in the doorway. "Nemu, take it back to its cell. And inform Squad 6 they can come and get it at their leisure. I've finished with my research." With these final infuriating words- really, it's like he thinks I'm some kind of animal- Kurotsuchi disappears.

I'd yell after him or something, but I'm too weak to. Instead I lay there quietly as Kurotsuchi's strangely obedient Lieutenant unchains me and carries me back to my cell. Tomorrow I'll finally be free of this. My relief is almost palpable.

…

"Did you hear?"

"About what?"

"Those ryoka!"

"Yea I heard…what's the big deal about them?"

The sounds of the guard's voices have awoken me. It must be sometime in the evening, when the shift changes. Initially I was just going to try and go back to sleep, but I'm unable to ignore my curiosity about the ryoka. I have this need to know if it's really him or if I'm just imagining things.

"Well…"

"Just get to the point!"

"They defeated Jidanbo!"

"What? No way!"

Jidanbo…I search Wakana's memories and find that he is the guardian of the west gate to the Seireitei. A giant of a man with incredible strength. I lift my head up a little higher, trying to hear better. Could it really be Ichigo? But he wouldn't have been able to defeat the Jidanbo guy before.

"Yea, I know, crazy right? Anyways, after that Jidanbo opened the gate for them…but Captain Ichimaru was there."

Ichimaru? My blood runs ice cold at just the sound of his name. If it really was Ichigo then…then… I wait on pins and needles to hear the rest.

"Oh, well…I guess they're dead then right?"

"No! That's the thing. Captain Ichimaru didn't kill them. Said that he didn't think they were that big of a threat."

"So they're just running around in the Rukon District?"

"That's what I've heard."

"That's insane. Who the hell are these ryoka if they can defeat Jidanbo and then get away from Ichimaru alive?"

"Dunno. I heard there are four of them. And the one that got away from Ichimaru was a Soul Reaper with orange hair and a giant zanpakuto."

My body goes lax with the shock of this news as I tune the rest of their conversation out. Ichigo's here. He's really here. Why is he here? That idiot! What does he think he can accomplish? He's going to get himself killed!

But at the same time I'm ecstatic. He's here! Ichigo's really here! He's come to rescue Rukia and I, I'm certain of it. The little bud of hope that sprouted earlier today is now in full bloom. I feel so much better just knowing that he's in the same dimension of me.

But that guard said that there were four ryoka…I'm sure one is Uryuu. But who could the other two be? It's not Orihime and Chad is it? Surely they're not strong enough to handle coming here. But, I'm sure Urahara (because of course he had a hand in this) wouldn't have sent them or even Ichigo without making sure they were ready. At least I hope not.

I roll over on my pitiful excuse for a futon. There's no point in worrying over this right now. As I try to fall back into the sleep that I'm almost certain I won't get tonight, I can feel the hope that Ichigo's and the other's arrival gives me. For the first time since I arrived in Squad 12, I begin to plan my escape again.

…

Ichigo watched the sun set over the Seireitei. Things hadn't gone…exactly as planned. They had gotten to the Soul Society all right. And he had easily defeated the gatekeeper Jidanbo. Ichigo's hands tightened into fists. If it hadn't been for that silver-hair, smiling bastard he would already be in the Seireitei and on his way to rescuing them.

The wall was so high. The only things in the Seireitei that Ichigo could make out were the roofs of the buildings. Ichigo's heart ached through his frustration. He was so irritated. They were right over there! And yet he couldn't get to them…to her…

Taylor.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked around at the sound of his name. On the ground, below the tower where he sat, were Uryuu, Orihime, and Chad. "Get down here already! We've got strategy to discuss!" Uryuu yelled again.

Ichigo reluctantly turned away from his view of the Seireitei and jumped down. He stood for a moment facing his three friends, Mr. Yoruichi in Orihime's arms.

"Are you ok, Ichigo?" Orihime asked him tentatively.

"Hmph. There's no need to worry you know. There's more than one way to get into the Seireitei." As always Mr. Yoruichi managed sound both haughty and wise.

They were worried about him, Ichigo realized.

"I know." Ichigo surprised himself as much as his friends with his confidence. But he just couldn't help the small smirk that crossed his features. They had come this far hadn't they? There was no way that Ichigo was going back without her now. "Come on," Ichigo said over his shoulder as he walked away from the tower, self-assurance in every stride. "Didn't you say there was some strategy we needed to discuss?"

…

It's not until the second day after Ichigo's arrival that Squad Six comes to get me. I'm awakened by the sound of the door of my cell unlocking and manage to scramble to my feet before it opens. I'm pleased that my day of rest has given my spiritual pressure a chance to start recovering.

The door swings open and reveals one of Squad 12's guards and a dark-haired kid with beads hanging in his hair. I recognize him almost immediately. He's the kid who follows the Sixth's redheaded baboon of a Lieutenant around.

"Good morning Ms. Smithson," he says, bobbing a slightly nervous bow to me. I doubt that it's me who's intimidating, though. Especially after being Kurotsuchi's test subject for a week. Being inside the Squad 12 research facility would make anyone uncomfortable.

"Let's get this over with," I reply, doing my best to sound bored as I hold out my hands so the kid can put the spiritual pressure sealing handcuffs on them. I decided earlier that if I'm going to make a break for it the best time will be while I'm on my way back to the Sixth. And they're even helping me out by sending this kid instead of the Lieutenant or a higher officer. It really is now or never.

I follow quietly behind the kid until we get outside where I'm forced to pause to shield my eyes. The rising sun is ridiculously bright after being underground for so long. "Are you alright?" the kid asks, looking back to see why I've stopped.

"Yea, I'm fine," I say, blinking tears out of my eyes. This is definitely not the time to be distracted. I need to be completely focused if I'm going to get away.

We walk on for a while more until the kid suddenly stops. Cocking his head to the side he asks, "Do you hear something?"

I pause and listen. At first I don't hear anything and then a faint whistling noise comes to my ears, like a baseball bat being swung through the air. It quickly grows louder.

Both of us are looking around, searching for the source of the noise when someone nearby shouts "The sky!"

I look up and see a bluish ball of light soaring through the sky towards us. "It's going to hit the barrier!" the kid shouts.

The noise has nearly hit earsplitting when the strange ball collides with the barrier created by the sekkiseki stone that makes up the wall. The impact creates a massive boom that shakes the ground. I stumble around trying to keep my footing as people begin to yell and Soul Reapers run in all directions.

The ball is pushing against the barrier, a rumbling sound filling the air around us. And then, suddenly, it explodes. There are screams and more shouting around me, but I couldn't care less. That ball was made of spiritual pressure and I recognize almost all of them immediately.

Hope swells in my chest. The main force of the spiritual pressure was Ichigo's, but I can feel Uryuu's, Orihime's, and Chad's too. There's also another spiritual pressure I don't recognize and one more that is familiar through Wakana's memories, but I don't take the time to think about it.

Ichigo and the others are here! I can even see them if a squint real hard. Suddenly I'm not so worried about them coming to the Soul Society anymore. I mean if they can break through the sekkiseki barrier like that then they must be ready. And they've also given me the perfect distraction so I can make my escape.

I look around covertly as the energy above begins to spin. The street we're on is empty, however, and the kid's attention is completely focused on the sky. I raise my arms above my head and then bring them down as hard as I can on the back of his head. He collapses to the ground like a stone as the corner of my cuffs hits his skull.

"Sorry kid, " I mutter as I search his pockets for the keys. I find them, unlock the cuffs, and gathering my recovered spiritual pressure I shunpo away, intending to put as much distance between myself and the kid as possible while everyone is distracted.

I pause on a rooftop as the swirling energy explodes again. Everyone is shot off in four different directions and now that my spiritual pressure has adjusted to the Soul Society I can track them all. I watch as Ichigo and the spiritual pressure I don't recognize crash to the ground not too far from me.

I want to go to him. The pulling feeling in my chest is almost irresistible. But I can't yet. I still have other things to take care of, the first of which is getting my zanpakuto back. But, as I turn away, I promise myself that I'll go and find him soon.

…

Ichigo perked up when he saw Ikkaku finally open his eyes. *"You're awake huh?"

Ikkaku then proceeded to yell at Ichigo about saving his life. Ichigo, however, was not really in the mood to listen. When the tirade had died down Ichigo stood up. "Anyway I don't really care how you feel. I just want the answers to a few questions."

"Of course you do. That's just my luck. What do you want to know? My birthday?" Ikkaku asked sarcastically.

"Where's Rukia Kuchiki?"

Surprise crossed Ikkaku's face. "Kuchiki? The prisoner? What do you want with that thing?"

"I came here to save her," Ichigo answered with complete certainty.

"What?" And then Ikkaku began to laugh. Ichigo waited, irritated, until Ikkaku laughed so hard that he reopened his wounds and was forced to stop. Finally Ikkaku calmed down and told Ichigo where Rukia was.

Ichigo was surprised. He figured he'd have to do some more wrangling to get Ikkaku to talk. "R-really?" Ichigo asked once Ikkaku was finished.

"You don't believe me?" Ikkaku exclaimed, clearly insulted. "She means nothing to me! If you want to save her go and do it! And hurry before the others find you! Go now!"*

"I've got just one more question," Ichigo said. Surprise crossed Ikkaku's face again. Ichigo took a deep breath and asked the question he had been dying to ask. He would have asked about her first, but he wanted to make sure that Ikkaku would cooperate. "Where's Taylor Smithson?"

Ikkaku's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who's that?"

Ichigo had been afraid of that too. That any old run-of-the-mill Soul Reaper he ran into wouldn't know who she was. "She was captured at the same time as Rukia was except that they think she's someone else."

"Oh…" Ikkaku said contemplatively. Ichigo waited with bated breath for him to continue. "Yea I know who you're talking about now. I think they said something about finding her not guilty. Mistaken identity or something. That they were gonna remove her powers and then said her back to the human world. I'm sorry, but that's all I know about her."

Ichigo breathed a massive sigh as relief temporarily left his body limp. It sounded like Taylor was safe, for now anyways. "It's alright," Ichigo said, standing and turning away. "Thanks. *I owe you one, Ikkaku."

"Don't make me vomit."

Ichigo set off, new determination powering his steps. It was driving him insane that he couldn't save her yet, but if Taylor was safe it would probably be best to concentrate on rescuing Rukia for now. As far as Ichigo knew Rukia was still in danger of being killed. First though he needed to find Ganju.

"Wait." Ichigo paused, surprised, as Ikkaku called out to him. "Of all in your group who is the strongest?"*

…

As much trouble as having Wakana's memories has gotten me in, there are definitely some benefits too. For one thing I now know the layout of the Seireitei's maze of streets so it isn't hard to figure out exactly where I need to go. I also now know many of the Seireitei's rules and procedures. In short, I know where Tennyo is.

I also can do techniques that I wasn't able to before, like shunpo. It isn't even that hard really. Since Wakana knew how to do it all I have to do is copy what she does in the memories.

As I travel across the rooftops at the fastest shunpo clip that I can manage I track the progress of Ichigo and the others. Ichigo has already defeated a pretty powerful spiritual pressure and Uryuu has engaged his own. Everyone seems to be getting along just fine, which eases my worry a bit. And their arrival has thrown the Seireitei into chaos making it a lot easier for me to move around undetected.

Soon I reach the edges of the Squad Six compound and pause on a roof to observe. It is in just as much chaos as everywhere else. People run about everywhere while officers shout orders, trying to maintain some semblance of organization. As I quietly as I can I move across the roofs towards the center of the compound.

Tennyo is most likely locked in the room where most Soul Reapers leave their zanpakuto's when they're off duty. Spotting a promising looking building, and with no one around, I drop to ground. I steal onto the porch and open the first door I come across.

Well they aren't zanpakutos but I'm not going to complain about a room full of shihakushos right now. I slip inside, shut the door behind me, and dive into the piles searching for one that will fit. I finally find the right size of shihakusho and gratefully change into it, leaving the stupid white robe I've been forced to wear since my capture hidden in a corner.

I slip outside again and begin to walk down the porch, opening doors as I go. At one point two Soul Reapers come tearing up the porch towards me but I step out of the way, careful to hide my face behind my bangs, and they ignore me.

Just as I'm getting fed up with searching I throw open a door and find a room lined with racks for zanpaktuos with very few zanpakutos in it. I can't keep the triumphant grin from my face. Foouund it. I quickly inspect all the zanpakutos in the room, but it's not like I was really expecting them to leave Tennyo out in the open.

I end up in front of the locked door in the back of the room. This presents an interesting dilemma. Even if I knew where the key was I probably don't have time to go and get it. The door is almost certainly alarmed though, so once I break in I'm going to have to grab Tennyo and get out quick. Oh well. You can't have everything in life I guess.

I raise my hands in front of the lock and begin to gather spiritual energy around them. Kido is another one of those skills that I magically now know through Wakana's memories. "Hado number 31, Shakkaho!" The lock, and a good portion of the door, explodes and a siren starts to blare.

I push the door open. This room is much smaller and darker than the rest I've looked in. There are a few zanpakuto racks hanging on the walls, but only one zanpakuto. I can practically hear Tennyo calling me as I cross the room and wrap my hand around her hilt. Instantly I'm hit by a wave of calm as Tennyo greets me. As I slide my zanpakuto into my belt I feel about a thousand times better. I can do anything I set my mind to with her on my hip.

As I reenter the main room I can hear shouts and the sound of running footsteps. Uh oh. Time to go! I raise my hands towards the main doorway and gather my spiritual energy again. "Hado number 33, Sokatsui!"

There are anguished yells as my spell collides with doorway and explodes. I leap forward, easily passing unhindered through the smoke and debris. I glance to my right as my feet make contact with the porch. The red-haired Lieutenant is staring at me in wide-eyed astonishment. I'm unable to stop a smirk from turning up the corners of my mouth. My knees bend as I push spiritual pressure into my feet, preparing to take off in a shunpo step.

"See ya, pineapple head!"

…

The sun was setting. The blood loss was getting to Ichigo, making him woozy. He could barely stand. Renji Abarai, the man he had just defeated, grabbed the front of Ichigo's shihakusho and screamed, pleading **"Save her…save Rukia!"

"…I will,"** Ichigo promised him quietly.

His message passed along Renji began to collapse. But Ichigo couldn't let him pass out just yet. There was still something he needed to know. Something important he had to ask…

"Where's Taylor?" Ichigo managed to say, catching a hold of Renji's uniform as he fell. Renji blinked blearily up at Ichigo. "Please," Ichigo continued, his voice taking on its own pleading note. "I need to know."

A grudging grin graced Renji's lips. He thought back to the last time he had seen the blonde girl. She had been leaping through the debris of the wall she had just destroyed. He remembered her cheeky smirk, her parting farewell. She was something else. "You don't have to worry about her…she escaped."

Ichigo released Renji, unable to hold him up any longer, and he collapsed, unconscious. She had escaped. Ichigo's head was swimming with relief. Of course she had, he thought affectionately. He shouldn't have expected…anything less…from her…

Ichigo fell beside Renji, his mind finally claimed by blackness.

…

The sun begins to set as I decide to settle down for the night. In truth I'm exhausted and everything I've done today was really a bit too much with only some of my spiritual pressure recovered. Getting away from Squad 6 wasn't too much of an issue because they were in too much of a mess to really send out a good pursuit. I shupoed away for a bit before realizing that someone running over the rooftops probably looked suspicious. So I dropped down to the street and traveled that way. Blending in wasn't hard and though I got yelled at a few times no one was paying close enough attention to notice who I was.

I tried to keep track of everyone today as I moved. Everyone seems to be safe except for Ichigo. Well he might be safe. I'm not actually sure because his spiritual pressure completely disappeared earlier. It irked me a little bit because I was planning to go find him, but maybe it's better for him not to be running around in the open. It would be impossible for him not to attract attention with his massive spiritual pressure. I have no idea where he is now, but I hope he's ok.

Now I'm holed up in a storage shed in the strangely empty Squad 11 barracks. It's not as comfortable as a bed, but it's way better than my "futon" in Squad 12. I'm just drifting off to sleep when I feel Ichigo's spiritual energy erupting, clashing with none other than the red-haired baboon's. Before I know it I'm on my feet and in the doorway.

I freeze there. I want to go to him. I want to go to him so badly…but it's not a good idea. Already, I can feel other Soul Reapers moving towards them at the base of the Senzaikyu. What is Ichigo doing there I wonder briefly. I suppose they must have moved Rukia. And even if I did go there what could I do? I'm so tired now I can't even use shunpo anymore. Besides Ichigo can take Renji now. I have to make myself believe that or I might lose it with worrying.

But still…I bite my lip in indecision as my fingers squeeze the doorframe hard enough to turn my knuckles white. Their fight escalates quickly and it's all I can do to stand still as Ichigo is slowly overwhelmed. Suddenly Ichigo's spiritual pressure flares stronger then I've ever felt from him before. It's…incredible and it easily swallows Renji's. I sag against the doorframe in relief. He won.

Abruptly Ichigo's spiritual pressure disappears. "Ichigo!" I'm up across several rooftops before I sense it again. It's faint, but it's there. He's still alive. More Soul Reapers are closing in when Ichigo's spiritual pressure really does disappear in the same way it did this afternoon. That must mean that there are other people with him. He'll be safe, I try and assure myself.

Anyways I can't be jumping all over rooftops anymore tonight. I jump down and make my way back to the storage shed. I can figure out exactly what I'm going to do tomorrow. For now I need to sleep.

Author's Note:

Chapter 17, yay! I sure hope no one thought I was really gonna leave Taylor sitting in Squad 12 until Ichigo came and got her. That's totally not Taylor's style. So she escaped. I guess the "torture" thing in Squad 12 might have been a bit much, but this is Kurotsuchi that we're talking about. And considering what he did to Uryuu's grandpa it didn't seem outside the realm of possibilities. And technically he isn't torturing her anyways- he's doing "research".

So Ichigo was in this chapter a lot. Mainly because I wanted to make sure that it was clear why he wasn't going after Taylor first. Also that whole thing about him sitting on a tower in the Rukon district looking at the Seireitei…apparently that's canon only in the anime. But I liked the idea so I stuck it in there. The kid who gets Taylor from Squad 12 is Rikichi. He's the one who has a mini Renji tattoo over his eyebrow. I didn't know his name when I wrote it and I'm too lazy to stick it in now that's done. And why are the Squad 11 barracks strangely empty? Be cause they all got beat up by Ichigo and Ganju!

In a side note the word document for this story is over 150 pages long now!

Citations:

Between the * English language Volume 11, Chapter 89, by Viz.

Between the ** English language Volume 11, Chapter 98, by Viz.

Eight more reviews! To be honest I was a little surprised that was all I got. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, but I figured I'd get a bigger response from the last chapter. Eight is still great though! Anyways a huge THANK YOU to Sora'struelover, Shannyrox101, bleach fan no 1, bored411, XxLunarRockerxX, indescribable music, and Shaybo27! You're all AWESOME!

Since some people seemed alarmed that we're only a few chapters away from the end of this story so I just wanted to remind everyone that THERE WILL BE A SEQUEAL!...and probably another squeal after that.

Thanks for reading!

imagination junkie